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Imperial Sentinels
The Imperial Sentinels Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes have been waging war across the stars in the name of the God-Emperor since the Primarchs walked among men. Their way of war is one of calculating precision, unflinching determination, and unshakable discipline. They are a thin black line between the Imperium and the countless foes seeking to destroy it, for as long as one Imperial Sentinel yet stands atop the ramparts the Imperium shall never fall. Chapter History Founding and Early Beginnings The Imperial Sentinels chapter is almost as old as the Imperium itself, being of the 3rd Founding over ten millennia past. For every single year they have fought to keep the Heretics, Traitors, and Xenos at bay, and neither they nor the Imperium have yet succumbed. The first Chapter Master of the Imperial Sentinels was the Imperial Fists Company Captain and former Praetor Caspian Artorius, a keen naval strategist and adept swordsman. These traits marked him apart from his fellows, and when the Primarch Rogal Dorn set into motion the 3rd Founding in 001.M32. Caspian was selected to become Lord Commander of one of these new chapters. Tasked with taking to the stars to continue the scouring, to bring the wrath of the Emperor and His grieving son to those deemed responsible wherever they attempted to go. A mandate the newly dubbed Imperial Sentinels and their chapter master would earnestly obey. As is custom for a Founding the Sentinels were armored, armed, and equipped as befitted true sons of Dorn with a massive flagship Battle Barge, dozens of suits of Tactical-dreadnought armor, 1,000 gene-seed samples, hundreds of armored vehicles and aircraft, and more. For no expense is spared when it comes to His Angels of Death. For a century the chapter built itself up, training, fighting alongside their Primogenitor Chapter till they were individually combat effective. Then they were unleashed. The first to be ground to dust by the Imperials Sentinels were a roving band of Word Bearers Heretic Astartes, whose name has been lost to history, that had been assailing the frontier Forge World of Actium. The pitiful Traitor fleet was torn apart by the Blade of Retribution, with Caspian at the helm. From the heavens rained bombardment cannon shells and lesser ordnance issued by the chapter’s strike craft, but these were little threat in comparison to the Sentinels themselves. Through the fires set aflame by the conflict strode the ebony armored Terminators of the 1st and 2nd Companies, the Templar Brethren. Behind them in lockstep marched the Sternguard, Vanguard, Tactical, Assault, and Devastator Marines with Caspian at their head. This precedent for leading from the front set by the first Lord Commander would carry from the War of the Beast, to the Age of Apostasy, and beyond. Suffice it to say the Word Bearers did not survive, their corpses burnt after being relieved of their most valuable pieces of wargear for reconsecration and reuse in the Emperor’s name. Then as quick as they came the Sentinels set sail, after repairs and the collection of possible aspirants from the ravaged world’s population that is, towards the next war zone. As would become customary for them they refused a formal thanks and/or celebration, taking their recompense in repairs, resupply, and equipment. War of the Beast Over five hundred years after their inception, in the year 544 of the 32nd Millennium, the Sentinels would face their true crucible of war. Orks in the untold billions had rallied to the banner of a Warboss known simply as The Beast. By now the Sentinels gene-father had disappeared, reported missing in action during the First Black Crusade. Despite his absence the sons of Dorn enacted the Last Wall protocol, mustering with their gene-Brothers into legion strength. The Rook, Blade, and Bolter of the Imperial Sentinels stood proud alongside the Fist sigil of both the Imperial and Crimson Fists, and the Crusader cross of the Black Templars among others. Astartes of the Sentinels were at all three battles of Ullanor, losing dozens of battle brothers in each engagement till even the Lord Commander of the chapter was slain. Through it all the survivors remained steadfastly resolute in their duty, throwing everything they had against the endless green tide. By the end of the Third Battle for Ullanor the Sentinels withdrew to the ancestral VII Legion homeworld of Inwit to replenish and recuperate. Despite the catastrophic losses sustained thus far in the conflict and far from full strength the Sentinels provided several brothers to join the newly reconstituted Imperial Fists Chapter. Also seconded were the first of the Sentinels to join the fledgling Deathwatch, the beginning of a long and proud history of doing so. However these would be the final acts of the chapter during this war, so ravaged were they. That is until the events known as the Beheading. Although absent from Maximus Thane's execution of Drakan Vangorich the Sentinels, finally restored to full combat effectiveness, joined the coalition of chapters who restored order to the Throneworld. Golden Age of the Imperium From the ashes of the War of the Beast an era began of fresh conquest and expansion, the so called Forging, ushering the Imperium into a golden age not seen since the Great Crusade. And ever at the forefront were the Imperial Sentinels, taking the fight to the Xenos, Traitor, and Heretic alike. At the edges of Segmentum Tempestus sat a small micro-empire ruled by the Traitor Legionaries of the reviled Iron Warriors, ancient and hated foes of the Sons of Dorn. One by one the worlds of the so called Nova Olympian empire were razed by the black armored Battle-Brothers of the Sentinels till only the final stronghold remained. The capital Hive World of Nova Olympia was laid waste to, all but one of the hives cities destroyed outright by the mighty warfleet of the chapter. Finally came the brutal close urban combat, as if a picture perfect example of a Zone Mortalis out of the Codex Astartes. Any strong points located were annihilated in wave upon wave of air strikes or by a salvo of bombardment cannons till all that remained was a blasted out hell-scape, a dead husk that once was home to billions. Those that attempted to flee ran straight into the waiting jaws of the Reserves, eager for a chance at combat against the great enemy. When the Chaos Astartes themselves tried to break out in an armored speartip the Sentinels met them tank for tank, deploying three dozen Predators and their twin Sicaran Battle Tanks. After a brutal four hour slog the Iron Warriors had been annihilated to the last. Once the Sentinels had all returned to their ships a salvo of Cyclonic Torpedoes launched from the Blade, destroying the planet. Next to meet their wrath were Night Lords Traitor Legionnaires turned pirates, who had been preying on Imperial shipping for centuries. The Sentinels ambushed the pirate fleet, setting an unarmed and unescorted convoy into a deserted system to bait the enemy. It worked, whether out of greed or arrogance the pirates fell right into the trap. Behind them emerged the entire chapter fleet, dozens of warships in all but dwarfed by the Blade. The enemy flagship was similar in tonnage and armament, and both sides were more than willing to indulge in a naval engagement. Eventually the lesser capital ships and certainly the escorts gave both monstrosities a wide berth, until they had room to fight properly. At extreme ranges the lance batteries of the Blade overloaded the enemy ship’s shields multiple times. By the time the distance had been closed to Macrocannon range the Blade was virtually unscathed while the Night Lords’ ship had suffered moderate damage. In the point-blank broadside that followed the Sentinels’ Battle barge was decidedly the victor. What remained of the pirates quickly fled, leaderless, outnumbered, and outgunned. While they continued to plague the sector for several more decades their impact on the Imperium was negligible at worst. Nova Terra Interregnum When the Segmentum Pacificus declared itself independent of the Imperium the Sentinels changed course immediately upon hearing the news, the great plasma reactors seeming to burn brighter and hotter in the pursuit of traitors. Their first combat action during the centuries long time of the twin empires was the brutal suppression of the Tellarite Rebellion. While the Land Leviathans gave the Astartes of the Sentinels pause for a brief moment early in the campaign within a standard Terran year their effectiveness had been nullified. Now virtually unhindered the Sentinels systemically slaughtered those who championed and fought for the Ur-Council, visiting the Emperor’s righteous fury onto the traitors. Although this time they paid more heed to the damage done to the infrastructure at the behest of the Adeptus Mechanicus, or what remained after the Moirae Schism. Tens of millions died at the hands of the unfeeling, unshakable Sentinels till those that were still alive laid down their arms and accepted Imperial rule once again after nearly two decades of losing. They recovered the plans to the Land Leviathans, bringing them to the nearest forge world in exchange for a shipment of Terminator armor. While traversing the great void the Sentinels’ warfleet came cross the Aeldari Craftworld of Anthemion. With a roar of righteous fury the Blade of Retribution led her fellows into the jaws of the Craftworld’s defenses. Hundreds of strike craft ducked, dodged, and weaved through massive barrages exchanged between the capital ships. Xiphon Interceptor met Nightshades in a display that would’ve been awe-inspiring if it was not so terrifying. The valiance of the Craftworld’s defenders could not be denied, but it was not enough to hold back the Imperial Sentinels. Macrocannon and bombardment cannon shells shattered Wraithbone, inflicting catastrophic damage to the Craftworld. Lord Commander Maximillian Drayus lead the Templar Brethren to face the last survivors in honorable combat, teleporting aboard and making their way to the Infinity Circiut only to be met by an Avatar of Khaine. The Lord Commander met the godly shard in personal combat as the Terminators of the 1st and 2nd Companies butchered the Aspect Warriors that yet remained. After hours of fighting and with the Craftworld falling apart under extended bombardment the Sentinels Teleported back to the Blade, two of the Honor Guard carrying their mortally wounded chapter master whilst another pair bore aloft the Sword of Khaine wielded by the Avatar. It was placed in the Armory where it resides today as a testament to Drayus. Age of Apostasy From its inception there was deep enmity between the Sentinels and the various Emperor-worshiping cults, in particular the Ecclesiarchy of the Temple of the Emperor Ascendent. As torch bearers for the logic driven Imperial Truth the Sentinels found the belief in any god let alone the belief that the Emperor was a god abhorrent. But the Sentinels bit their tongues, turning a blind eye to the growing decadence and corruption like so many others in order to prevent another galaxy wide civil war. Goge Vandire’s Reign of Blood however would force their hand, they declared him guilty of abuse of power and joined the ranks of the Confederation of Light. Not that they believed Sebastian Thor had visions from the Emperor, their only reason for aiding with the so called Master of the Warp being he was the most powerful contender against Vandire’s hegemony. They joined their Imperial Fist, Black Templar, and Soul Drinker cousins a well as the Martian Tech Guard and the Fire Hawks chapter in laying siege to the Ecclesiastical palaces on Terra. The majority of the Sentinels’ fleet and chapter remained in orbit to stave off any attempts by whatever was left of the Frateris Templar to break the siege while the 9th Company provided close air support for the ground forces. When the fighting ceased the Lord Commander descended to the surface of Terra, the birthplace of mankind to meet with the others leaders of the coalition. He vouched for the complete abolition of the Imperial Cult but was overruled, settling for the restrictions levied on the organization and leaving before he caused a scene by killing the new Ecclesiarch. Ages of Redemption and Waning From the ashes of the Age of Apostasy arose a new era of expansion and warfare not seen since before the Nova Terra Interregnum. In Segmentum Pacificus the Sentinels saw the most action, bleeding battle brothers during the ceaseless campaigning until the calamity of Exobyte. There the chapter was brought to its knees by the skeletal androids of the Necrons. Although fighting hard the previous battles had reduced them to such a strength that they were unable to overcome the foul xenos. In a humiliating retreat the Sentinels lost their Lord Commander, Chief Librarian, and two Company Commanders. The Imperium has overextended itself in war fervor, now the myriad threats supposedly pushed back by the Redempton Crusades retaliated. Once more the Sentinels withdrew to Inwit, the 7th Legion’s ancestral homeworld to replenish their numbers and carve new oaths of vengeance into the Temple pillars. They missed out on the Macharian Crusade and subsequent Heresy, taking time to rebuild their strength before making a return to the frontlines. Age of Ending Following the failures of the Redemption Crusades it appeared as if the darkness would finally claim the Imperium and plunge it into a downward spiral it wouldn’t recover from. But the Sentinels would not allow that to occur, at least not without a fight. Leading a crusade into the very Warp itself against the Daemon World of Gehenna and the Khornate Iron Warriors warband of the Ravager Jackals. Although failing in the ultimate objective of destroying the warband outright the esprit de Corps of the chapter was restored. Their reprieve would be short however as the green tide of Orks rallied to the Prophet of their imaginary gods Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka into a WAAGH!, their target the ashen Hive World of Armageddon. Their participation in the desperate defense on the ground was negligible, their focus instead on the void war. Hundreds of Astartes and Imperial Navy capital ships faced down thousands of their Ork counterparts. Experienced in such warfare the Sentinels reaped a deadly toll on the Ork invaders, felling dozens of enemy warships and half a dozen medium sized space hulks. Eventually the enemy fled the field, like animals with their noses bloodied and tails between their legs. But a Storm was gathering, one that would cut the the Imperium in half. The Chief Librarian Augustus Vilion, saw at the eye of this oncoming storm a cobalt and gold figure leading a new crusade that would push back the hordes of foes. And so the Sentinels made way for Terra, reaching about halfway when word of Cadia’s destruction and the resurrection of Roboute Guilliman was received through the Astropathic Choir. They completed their journey, arriving scant weeks ahead of the Terran Crusade. Ancient Artorius was roused from his slumber at once, as was the entire Dreadnought brotherhood. For the first time in thousands of years the Sentinels stepped onto the soil of Terra, fighting back Khorne’s Legions beside the Adeptus Custodes and a living, breathing Primarch. Age of Reckoning The Sentinels departed the throneworld was part of the Indomitus Crusade, wreaking bloody vengeance across the stars for the crimes against the Imperium that had gone unpunished in the past. With the aid of the new Primaris Marines, who despite valiant service were still treated with a degree of suspicion and contempt by the Firsborn of the chapter, that is until the Battle of Donkerth. Faced with overwhelming opposition the Lord Commander gave the order for the third, fourth, and fifth companies to withdraw behind the Templar Brethren. The Fifth company, including most of the Primaris Battle Brothers in the battle line, refused and eventually routed the Nurglite warband that was leading the attack and subsequently their shambling hordes of Plague zombies literally collapsed. Every surviving battle brother received a two fold reward, admittance to the Templar Brethren which was then revoked and they were transferred back to the fifth. However the symbolic victory for the Primaris marines was that the ban on their serving in the veteran companies was relaxed. Chapter Homeworld The Imperial Sentinels lay claim to no terrestrial fortress-monastery or set of recruitment worlds being a Fleet-Based Chapter, their spiritual and strategic home being the Battle Barge Blade of Retribution. Chapter Organisation Command Ranks Lord Commander - Chapter Master Master of the Temple - 1st Company Captain Master of the Watch - 2nd Company Captain Master of Marches - 3rd Company Captain Master of Castigation - 4th Company Captain Master of Sieges - 5th Company Captain Master of Executions - 6th Company Captain Master of the Annals - 7th Company Captain Master of Relics '''- 8th Company Captain '''Master of Vengeance - 9th Company Captain Master of Recruits - 10th Company Captain Specialist Formations Templar Brethren Title given to those who have ascended to the ranks of the 1st Company and earned the right to wear Terminator armor. In recent times, with the arrival of the Primaris Space Marines, this honored brotherhood has been extended to the Aggressors of the Chapter as their Wargear compliments and emulates Terminator equipment. Aerial Support Company Unique to the Sentinels is the 9th Company, consisting of the best pilots in the entire chapter they are responsible for maintaining and of course flying the bulk of combat sorties undergone by the Imperial Sentinels. Order Of Battle Headquarters Companies Recruitment and Initiation Rites Recruitment Aspiring recruits for the Imperial Sentinels are drawn from the crews of the warships that make up the Chapter Fleet. The trial to begin one's training is brutal and simplistic, a no-holds-barred cage match to the near death. For the victor, a chance at becoming a gene-forged super soldier, but for the loser lifelong shame and reassignment to menial or dangerous shipboard tasks. Once an Aspirant has passed their first test they undergo a lengthy and trying training regimen bringing the participants to peak physical condition, marksmanship skills that rival the Ratlings of the Astra Militarum, and the familiarity with the cockpit of a voidfighter that can only come from thousands of combat hours logged. During this time they have periodic implantations, culminating in the final gene-seed implantation surgery. An opportunity to undertake the final challenge and be awarded the title and equipment of a full Battlebrothers must be earned through one hundred confirmed kills either in the Scout Company or the chapter's squadrons of Stormbird strikecraft. Once that condition has been met the Neophyte must last for ten minutes against a fully-fledged Battlebrother in Power Armor. Funerary Rites All brothers of the Adeptus Astartes know that death will one day claim them, such harrowing service to the Imperium has but one end for its heroes, to fall in glorious battle. How that fall may come varies greatly, but among the Sentinels the last rites administered by the Chaplaincy are decidedly cold. For when life leaves the body, so does the brother that body once held, now only a corpse. After the body is hopefully returned to the parent vessel the progenoid glands are removed along with any salvageable equipment. Then it is placed into a torpedo capsule and borne to the launch decks by any surviving squad mates if possible or the company command squad if not. Most Sentinels are borne in the void between the stars, their bodies are commended to it as recompense for their service. Combat Doctrine Masters of void warfare like their legionnaire ancestors, the Sentinels tear apart the foe with disciplined volleys of Lance and bombardment cannon fire before closing to boarding torpedo and teleportation range. Once aboard the Sentinels leave no survivors, cutting down the enemy while advancing to the bridge, engineering bay, and gunnery deck to cripple and/or commandeer the vessel. On the ground their tactics are more nuanced, employing a creeping orbital bombardment to suppress anti-aircraft batteries to the Thunderhawks can descend and unload their cargoes of Scout, Eliminator, and Assault squads for recon in force and to deploy drop pod and teleportation beacons. From the bowels of the waiting capital ships come dozens of the drop pods bearing Tactical, Intercessor, Devastator, Aggressor, and Hellblaster squads as more Thunderhawks ferry the necessary armored vehicles to the surface. The ground force now assembled they advance in a rolling tide, supported from the sky by carrier-based strikecraft and the bombardment cannons mounted aboard the largest vessels. The Sentinels’ Assault Marines function more like the Despoiler Squads of the Legiones Astartes, fighting with blade and bolt pistol in hand and a combat shield on their pistol arm to deflect oncoming fire and shrapnel. They lack jump packs universally, even among the Vanguard Veterans they simply enjoy access to superior armaments in storm shields and wrist-mounted Bolters. Deathwatch Service Since the very founding of the Deathwatch the Imperial Sentinels have dispatched their most promising xenos-killers to the organization, honoring the accords of the Apocryphon Conclave so long ago. Chapter Beliefs The Imperial Sentinels’ history stretches back to before the superstition and religious fervor that now grips the Imperium cane to prominence. Their oldest members remember the Emperor’s Imperial Truth and hold it in as much reverence and regard as the average Hive Worlder does the Lectitio Divinitatus. This is not to say they worship the tenets of the Imperial Truth, but the ideals of logic, reason, and science it attempted to bring to all mankind are sacred to the Imperial Sentinels. They deny the existence of any gods, let alone the Emperor as one, causing untold animosity between them, the Ecclesiarchy, and the Ordo Hereticus. To them the Chaos Gods are simply extremely powerful Warp entities, extremely malevolent Warp entities. Gork and Mork, the twin gods of the Orks, are nothing more than figments of the Orks’ fight-addled and puny brains. Khaine, Cegorach, and the other members of the Eldar Pantheon are psychic weapons built to fight the Eldar’s wars for them, eventually gaining full sentience like all Abominable Intelligences Notable Chapter Members Lord Commander Taren Lash The Chapter Master of the Imperial Sentinels is the stoic, iron-willed Taren Lash, the elder of two Lashes currently in service to the chapter. Born over eight hundred years ago on a barely habitable volcanic rock to a tribal chieftain, he was groom d from birth as a war leader to succeed his father. But the Emperor had a different path in mind for him, striding onto the battlefield in the power armor of the Adeptus Astartes rather than living out a menial and primitive is existence. One of the other tribes had begun to worship the Ruinous Powers, eventually summoning Daemons to fight their rivals, Taren's tribe amongst them. As unholy abominations slaughtered his people Taren called out for the Emperor to save them. From the heavens descended Black-armored angels, Angels of Death, Adeptus Astartes of the Imperials Sentinels chapter. The collapsing line of mortals fell back behind their unexpected reinforcements, watching with awe as daemonic flesh was blown apart by Bolter shells or shred by chainswords. Taren, still only a teenager, rallied the remaining able-bodied fighters and moved to support the Astartes. When the final monster wheezed out of the material plane his tribe was decimated. The survivors that were deemed suitable Aspirants were gathered up by the Sentinels, Taren included, and alongside his brother Ethan the future Lord Commander passed the initiation trial to become as Neophyte and joining the ranks of the chapter's elite Wrath Squadron. Within thirteen years, the fastest in the chapter's history, he had completed the prerequisite kill count to attempt the trial to become a full Battle-Brother. His opponent would be the current Lord Commander, an rare but not unexpected occurrence. For two hours he fought the aged chapter master, Wolfrich, however experience won out in the end and Taren was bested. However he had more than surpassed the ten minute requirement and was elevated to the Seventh Reserve Company. By the end of his first century of life Taren ascended to the ranks of the Third Company as a Tactical Sergeant. During the riots on Armageddon in 474.M41 he distinguishes his reputation for hands on leadership by leading his squad directly into a mob of rioters numbering in the hundreds that had been assaulting the food shipments. Suffice it to say at the sight of His Angels of Death order was restored after a brief scuffle. For his actions Taren was once again transferred, this time to the Veteran Second Company. After another century in service to the Emperor he ascended to the captainship of the company, earning the title of High Sentinel. Two hundred years later Taren would have a rematch with the Lord Commander, though the outcome was vastly different this time. The aged Chapter Master’s Prime has come and gone, it was time for a new man to take up the mantle, that man was Taren, as it has been for the past four centuries right up to today. Chapter Champion Ethan Lash Ethan is the younger brother to Taren, the current Lord Commander, but no less impressive in deed. He like his brother was the son of his tribe's chief, but as he was not the heir he had more freedom to hone his martial skill. By the time he was a teenager he had surpassed his tutors with the sword and spear. When the foul denizens of the Warp came to his homeworld Ethan followed Taren into battle, cutting down a lesser daemon in single combat. When the Imperial Sentinels descended from the heavens to save the humans Ethan tried to continue the fight, but fell back at the glare of one of the Assault Marines. He passed the initiation trial to become a Neophyte, joining the 10th Company as a scout. Ethan served with distinction, eschewing a sniper rifle to wield a combat blade and cut down his foes up close. His final trial would be against the Assault Marine he had seen years before, Brother-Sergeant Adelmar. He did not defeat Adelmar, but he did last for triple the required time. When he had been given his power armor it was decided that he would skip duty in the Devastator squads to be assigned to the Assault Squads immediately and nurture his proficiency in melee further. For a century and a half Ethan fought with skill and determination, far superior to his contemporaries. He had an ego to match however, and it was decided by the Chapter Council to temper his pride through service in the Deathwatch. During his time as part of the Watch Ethan fought many varied xenos races, including the Eldar, Necrons, and Tyranids, often in close quarters combat. But he learned more than tactics and fighting styles in the Deathwatch, he learned of the importance of working with his Battle Brothers and of placing his life on the line for a greater purpose to succeed. He returned to the Sentinels a changed man, humbler but even more of a savant with a sword. Ethan was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the 4th Company, just in time to participate in the Gehenna Crusade. In the third year of the campaign Ethan was part of a mission to break through a major Chaos stronghold where the Company Champion was killed. Without hesitation he took up the sword of the fallen brother and lead his fellow Astartes of both the Sentinels and the Steel Tempests Chapter. When the dust settled the surviving Sentinels knelt and proclaimed him their new champion, which was confirmed by the Chapter Council and the Commander of the Fourth Company afterwards. The first test of Ethan's ability to fulfill the duties of Champion came several months later when a Bloodthirster of Khorne was rampaging its way to his Captain. For what felt like an eternity Ethan deflected, dodged, and parried the Greater Daemon's blows, feeling his strength wane from the effort of doing so. But the fury that made the creature so deadly was also a weakness, one Ethan had possessed not too long ago. He goaded the Bloodthirster into following him into the ruined remains of a Chaos shrine, waiting until it was wholly inside before cutting through the supports and bringing the structure down on top of the Daemon. When it had got its head out of the rubble it was greeted by the blade of Ethan slicing cleanly through its neck. Ethan remained as 4th Company Champion until the Terran Crusade, after Roboute Guilliman's resurrection, when the Chapter Champion Halkele Grenier was slain defense of his brother Taren. As Grenier's successor the Lord Commander entertained only one candidate, Ethan. None who had seen the younger Lash in battle would deny his capability and he entered the Mausoleum of Heroes to gain the blessing of Ancient Artorius. The former Caspian Artorius declared that he would've been proud to have a Champion such as the Astartes before him and Ethan donned the panoply of the Chapter Champion. He has been Chapter Champion for a century by now, standing as the silent guardian of his brother and the nominal Commanding officer of the Honor Guard. Ancient Artorius Ancient Artorius is the Contemptor Dreadnought-entombed remnant of the first Chapter Master of the Sentinels, Caspian Artorius. He abandoned his first name upon his first "death", when his body failed him in old age but his mind remained resolute. Caspian was born on Inwit and inducted into the Imperials Fists Legion as a Neophyte just prior to the start of the Horus Heresy. During the preparations for the Siege of Terra Caspian saw the Emperor, albeit from the upper balcony in the great hall of the palace. When the siege was well underway is the time Caspian would show his true mettle. An Emperor’s Children Champion was leading a charge to break through Caspian’s position, killing his captain in single combat. Caspian shot the Traitor Marine through the primary heart with his sniper rifle before casting it to the side and picking up his fallen captain’s sword and thrusting the blade into the enemy Champion’s secondary heart. He rallied the rest of his company, mostly inexperienced Neophytes, in a counter attack that kept back the howling degenerates of the former III Legion. For his actions he was elevated straight to command of his company as a captain by Rogal Dorn himself, leading them into battle during the Great Scouring and eventually rising to the rank of Praetor in the Legion just before Roboute Guilliman unveiled the Codex Astartes. Caspian was made a captain in the Imperial Fists chapter, serving with distinction for a thousand years. Dorn selected Caspian to become a chapter master of one of the newly created Chapters of the new Third Founding, specifically, the newly incepted Imperial Sentinels. But before the process was complete the Primarch was lost in action during the First Black Crusade. However Caspian did his duty, leading his chapter to their first major victory at Actium. Age has caught up to him and during the zenith of that battle against the Word Bearers’ Dark apostle Caspian suffered wounds that he was son longer able to recover from. So he elected to take his place amongst the Dreadnought Brotherhood, the Honoured Dead that still walked. For chassis he was granted the chapter’s sole Contemptor-Mortis, to fight ever still in the Emperor’s name to this day. Every time a new Lord Commander is to be chosen Ancient Artorius as he is now and forever will be known is roused from his slumber to pass judgement on the candidate. In this age of darkness the night and wisdom of this ancient warrior is needed more than ever and he has not returned to Stasis since being awoken for the Gehenna Crusade in the waning decades of the 41st Millennium. Captain Wolfhart von Celyn, 6th Company Wolfhart had a very typical rise through the ranks to command of his own company, being inducted into the chapter through the standard rites from the mortal crew of the Chapter fleet. He served with the Scouts for several decades before earning his armor in combat against one of the Templar Brethren. The rest of his service history is relatively unremarkable, that is until the events of the Gehenna Crusade. Throughout the seven year siege Wolfhart and the 6th performed adequately though with no major actions, meaning that when the crusade began to withdraw they were at relatively full strength and thus assigned as the meat of the rearguard. Against the onslaught of Heretic Astartes-supported Cultists the 6th company held, providing time for hundreds of their brothers as well as the warriors of other chapters and the Astra Militarum contingents to leave the planet in relative safely. At the end of four weeks of constant fighting ninety battle brothers had been reduced to twenty-six with even Wolfhart in critical condition following three duels with enemy champions in quick succession. He was brought to the operating theatre of the Apothecarium and given two options; Go into cryosleep until a dreadnought sarcophagus became available or be granted the Emperor's absolution. Wolfhart chose the former without a second thought, however when he would take to the battlefield almost a century later it would not be in a ceramite and adamantium body but it in his own, restored by crossing the Rubicon Primaris and advanced cybernetics. He is one of only two Primaris captain at present, but nonetheless represents a milestone as the first to achieve that rank albeit having held it previously. Chief Librarian Jakob Tannen Jakob Tannen is the first of the Awakened Primaris to hold a position of authority in the Chapter. He was a Neophyte during the time of the Great Scouring and collected by Archmagos Belisarius Cawl's agents for showing exceptional psychic potential. For ten millennia he and the other Awakened would wait in stasis for the Imperium's darkest hour. Jakob fought as a Greyshield in the Indomitus Crusade for only a brief period of time as the Imperial Sentinels themselves were a part of Guilliman's forces. Three companies' worth of Primaris Marines were given to the Imperial Sentinels, including Jakob, who joined the ranks of the Chapter's Librarius almost immediately. From the moment of his induction he was leaps and bounds ahead of his peers, rising through the ranks from Lexicanus, to Codicier, and then Epistolary. It would be at Cressia where his Trial by Fire would occur, in the shadows of that Thrones' Forsaken planet Jakob proved himself a capable warrior and commander but beyond that a peerless combat psyker. On his return to the Chapter he was informed of the death of the previous Chief Librarian and once news of the mission's success traveled, elected as his successor unanimously by the other Librarians. Captain Lukas Keath Lukas Keath was inducted into the Aspirants of the Chapter when the Sentinels' fleet discovered a lifeboat containing the adolescent Lukas and a dozen other teenagers. They had all escaped an attack by Ork Freebootas, sneaking their way to the lifeboat amidst the bloodbath. Although some argued that they should all be ejected out the nearest airlock for cowardice the Master of Recruits intervened on Lukas's behalf, stating in no uncertain terms that the boy had the makings of a space marine and he'd be damned if he saw such potential go to waste. So it was that Lukas began his training, learning the art of war to one day join the ranks of the Imperial Sentinels. His rise through the ranks would've been unremarkable if not for the fact that when he was assigned to the Seventh Reserve Company he was placed in the same squad as the future Lord Commander Taren Lash. As Devastators the two forged an unbreakable bond that has stood the test of time, coming to rely on each other completely. They would ascend together to the Third Company, but there was now a layer of complexity to their friendship as Taren was made the Sergeant, meaning he was responsible for not only watching Lukas's back but the backs of the other eight under his command. Lukas took this change in stride, striving to be self sufficient and lessen his friend's burden. After twenty years Lukas and Taren would be separated, with the former being sent to serve with the Deathwatch. There Lukas's stoic, reserved nature and command abilities led to him being made the leader of a Kill-Team, a sergeant in all but name. He excelled in this position and when he returned to the Sentinels he was elevated to the Second Company as one, in charge of his own Assault Squad. For a century he led his men into the heart of the fray, cutting down the enemies of the Imperium in close quarters. When Taren, who had been made Lord Commander by now, needed a new Captain for the Third Company he selected Lukas for the honor. Lukas accepted the post and the responsibility as Master of Marches with his characteristic humility and quite determination. Brother Gudrohar The Astartes once known as Gudrohar was a member of the elite first company, the Templar Brethren, and a Terminator sergeant at that. Now he occupies the Imperial Sentinels' sole Leviathan-Pattern Dreadnought, bringing death and destruction to the chapter's enemies. Gudrohar's service history from before his internment into the Leviathan has mostly been lost, but this is no great tragedy, for his deeds since then could fill several tomes. Typically fighting beside the first company due to his honored position in the chapter or beside the fifth given the Leviathan chassis being intended for siegebreaking Gudrohar is a sight to behold on the battlefield. His coming heralds untold devastation on the enemy from a variety of sources. At range the Storm Cannon mounted on his right arm spits out High Explosive Armor Piercing shells while the twin Volkite Culverins mounted in his chest bores holes into enemy armor. In close combat the siege claw on his left side rends apart anything unlucky enough to be caught between the pincers or burnt to ash by the palm-mounted heavy flamer. Gudrohar has fought within his body of adamantium and ceramite for over a millennium, participating in such notable battles as the Gehenna Crusade, Third War for Armageddon, Indomitus Crusade, Plague Wars, War of Beasts, and the Ferrum Crusade. Captain Sebastian Kahler Sebastian Kahler is the Captain of the fifth company and the Sentinels' Master of Sieges. In his duties as such he carries the honor and responsibility of maintaining the expertise in siege warfare honed by their Seventh Legion forebears. Kahler is one of the youngest Captains in the chapter's history, being from the first class of Primaris Marines to be produced by the Sentinels during the Indomitus Crusade. He served throughout that conflict, rising through the ranks to Lieutenant under Captain Johann von Tauer, who passed from the material realm in the last days of the Crusade. There was no question as to who his successor would be and Sebastian took up the mantle, elevated to his new position by Lord Commander Taren Lash amidst the ruins of the fortress von Tauer gave his life to see levelled. It was an excellent start to the career of the new Master of Sieges. In battle Kahler is the eye of the storm, seeing with inhuman clarity just where the enemy's defenses are weakest and then leading his men into an attack to exploit it. Like many of his colleagues he wields and wears the finest wargear available, a power sword forged from the heart of a meteor, a Bolt Rifle hand-crafted by the chapter's gunsmiths, and Mark X Tacitus battleplate tailored to his stocky form. Kahler is atypical for a captain, especially an Imperial Sentinels Captain, instead of stoic and unflinching he is bellicose and constantly in movement, going forwards of course. Chapter Fleet As a void-specialized and fleet-based chapter the Sentinels maintain a larger and more ship-to-ship focused collection of warships. They inherited most of their fleet from the mighty Imperial Fists legion fleet, when the Astartes and Imperial Navy were far more intertwined. Their warships are modified from more common hulls, exchanging armaments or outright removing them to be more codex compliant, reconfiguring launch bays to support Astartes strikecraft, removing much of the crew quarters to make way for Power Armor racks and Dreadnought Sanctums, automating much of the menial functions such as loading and targeting weapons, etc. The chapter's mobile Fortess-Monastery is the Great Crusade-era Battle Barge Blade of Retribution. Due to its age the Blade is far from typical in design, armament, or role. Three batteries of five Plasma Macrocannons on both port and starboard sides make up the primary armament with the addition of prow torpedo tubes and two wing mounted Novacannon to complete the ship killing arsenal, also mounted along the dorsal and ventral hull are several triple Lance Turrets. For non-weapon features the Blade contains the chapter’s Temple of Oaths, where the Sentinels inscribe their gravest vows in Blackstone pillars. Also within is the Forge, including a manufactorum for producing ammunition, spare parts, and the more basic equipment used in day to day operations. Finally are the Mausoleum of Heroes where every Lord Commander is buried and the Dreadnought bay. Aside from their flagship Battle Barge the Imperial Sentinels have three Halberd-Class vessels named as follows, Undaunted, Vigilant, and the Warden of the Righteous. Next down the line is a strong backbone of eleven Liberator-class cruisers, similar in design aesthetic and role to the comparable vessels of the Imperial Navy. These powerful warships house a host of Lance and Macrocannons in addition to Bombardment cannons, doling at the Emperor's fury in the black void of space. Non save ships of similar or same classifications can withstand sustained salvos of a cruiser's main armament, which is a single battery of eight Macrocannons on port and starboard, a single prow Lance, several torpedo tubes, and three hangar bay doors on port and starboard to allow the many strike craft of the chapter to launch into the fray. Following this core of mainline capital ships is the humble but no less deadly Revenant-Class light cruisers, of which the Sentinels crew fifteen such warships. These vessels are powerful enough to take on and destroy escorts with ease and even larger vessels in coordination with allied ships. Their armament is identical to that of the larger Liberators save for the exclusion of the prow Lance, fewer torpedo tubes, and no hangar bays. And last but not least by any stretch of the imagination are the escort frigates of the Adjudicator-Class to patrol, reconnoiter, and dissuade enemy warships from getting to close to the larger capital-class vessels of the chapter. Twenty-two of these ships round off the chapter fleet of the Imperial Sentinels, making the total accounting just shy of fifty voidcraft. Chapter Armory and Relics By the time of the end of the Indomitus Crusade the Imperial Sentinels had albeit phased out their Godwyn-Pattern Bolters and Bolt Pistols, standardizing on the Mark II Cawl-Pattern Bolt Rifle and Heavy Bolt Pistol for both Firstborn and Primaris squads to simplify training, supply procurement, and maintenance. So too have the Sentinels done away with the Phobos Sub-Pattern of Mark X Power Armor, equipping all Primaris Forces, including their Reivers and Eliminators, with the Tacitus Sub-Pattern. Also on the subject of Reivers' equipment is the replacement of their combat blades by full chainswords to enhance their melee capabilities. ''Bitter Valour'' A master-crafted power sword of unknown age and make theorized to be older than the Imperium itself, Bitter Valour is the badge of office for the Lord Commander of the chapter since it’s inception. Many a Chaos Lord, Ork Warboss, Aeldari Exarch, Druhkari Archon, Tau Commander, and Tyranid Hive Tyrant have been laid low by the razor sharp edge of Bitter Valour as well as untold millions of lesser foes since the first Lord Commander took up this sword. Land Raider Achilles Sigma Rare amongst the Armories of the Adeptus Astartes are the Land Raider Achilles Alpha, even more so in the 42nd Millennium, however the Imperial Sentinels have managed to obtain a handful of these ancient war machines and carefully maintained them over the millennia while making a few modifications along the way. In place of the Alphas' obsolete quad launcher is the deadly Avenger Bolt Cannon typically found mounted on Fire Raptor gunships as well as the addition of additional armor plating. The Spear of Dorn The Spear is the sole Sicaran Battle Tank remaining in the Chapter Armory by the modern day, revered by the Techmarines as a living God of Adamantium and Ceramite. When circumstances require the Spear will rumble onto the battlefield once more, its arrival a vision of the glorious past and of the terrible devastation it will bring on those who caused the glory of the Imperium to wane in the first place. It is said by the crew that when fighting the forces of Chaos the weapons will move of their own volition and the reactor burn hotter. Whether this is true or not the coming of the Spear of Dorn inspires awe in the Battle Brothers of the Imperial Sentinels and dread in their foes. Unyielding Fury' ' Few vehicles within the possession of the Imperial Sentinels are as legendary as the Unyielding Fury, a Relic Land Raider Spartan commonly employed by the Lord Commander as his personal command vehicle during armored assaults. Like the others of its type that once graced the battlefields of the Great Crusade the Fury is basically impenetrable to all but the most potent anti-tank weaponry and capable of transporting the full command contingent of the Imperial Sentinels safely into the heart of the battle. Actium-Pattern Plasma Rifle In the hands of an Astartes the Plasma Rifle is a lethal weapon capable of rendering the heaviest armor or even light vehicles molten slag; the weapons used by the veterans of the Imperial Sentinels are no different. Originating from the western Forge World of Actium these specific armaments are not as potent as their Mars-Pattern cousins but more stable far with a greater range. Chapter Appearance Chapter Colours The Imperial Sentinels primarily wear dark grey coloured power armour. Like all Astartes, they proudly display their Chapter iconography on their left shoulder pauldron which is coloured a blood-hued crimson colour. Upon the right shoulder pauldron they display a white coloured squad specialty symbol which indicates an individual battle-brother's assigned specialty (Tactical, Devastator, Assault and Veteran). A black roman numeral is stenciled upon the squad specialty icon to indicate squad number with a gold gothic numeral on the right knee to indicate Company. Chapter Badge The Imperial Sentinels Chapter badge consists of a crossed ebon-coloured sword and bolter with a gold coloured citadel superimposed over the top of this symbol, centered upon a field of crimson. The golden tower represents the Imperium and the Sentinels’ sworn duty to defend it till they die while the veterans wear the blade and Bolter as well, the tools with which they uphold their oaths. Relations Allies *'Adeptus Mechanicus' - (Legio Fulminata/Forge World Actium) * Imperial Fists successors: The Sentinels maintain extremely good relations with most of the original Last Wall chapters of the very early foundings. Amongst these their closest links are to the Imperial and Crimson Fists, along with the Black Templars. So close is the bond between Primogenitor and successor in the case of the Imperial Fists and Sentinels that on rare occasion the latter have been granted permission to draw recruits from the ancestral homeworld of Inwit. It is said although unconfirmed that many of these would go on to become Company Commanders, Honor Guardians, and even Lord Commander of the Chapter in one instance. * Ordinators Chapter: The enigmatic Daemon Hunters of Azuran are if not close certainly reliable allies who have shared a proverbial foxhole with the Imperial Sentinels on more than one occasion. Enemies * Every Iron Warriors Warband known to the Imperium * Perturabo - Daemon Primarch of the Iron Warriors. * Blood Axes and Da Gofs Ork Tribes Notable Quotes By the Imperial Sentinels About the Imperial Sentinels Feel Free to Add Your Own "Brother Captain, when you told me of your time in the Deathwatch, you mentioned serving alongside an Imperial Sentinel? I met with men of their number leading an interdiction force. I specifically remember you extolling their virtues in melee combat." -''"After seeing them in action I'm sure you agree, they are as impressive as your Quilong."'' "Do not insult my company by comparing them to those bullheaded sons of Dorn. When my company fights it is '''art'; Blades are our brushes and blood is our ink. These Sentinel are not artists, theirs is but a crude way of war, lacking in our beauty, they don't even use jump packs for their assault squads. Instead they charge in like the brickheaded fools they are!"'' -''"Introduce them to Zuolin’s brotherhood, I’m sure their head-taking Swordmaster would love their crude ways.'' - Conversation between Captains Sun Cao and Baizhang of the Jade Knives Chapter Gallery File:Brother Linus, 3rd Terminator Squad, 1st Company.png| Brother Linus, 1st Veteran Company, 3rd Terminator Squad. Imperial Sentinels Devastator Marine.png|Brother Kaspar, 3rd Company, 4th Fire Support Squad. Brother Kilian, 3rd Hellblaster Squad, 6th Company.png|Brother Kilian, 3rd HellBlaster Squad, 6th Company. Brother Fabian, 5th Aggressor Squad, 2nd Company.png|Brother Fabian, 5th Aggressor Squad, 2nd Company. Category:Fleet-Based Chapters Category:Imperial Fists Successors Category:Imperial Sentinels Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:3rd Founding